The Ariège Pyrenees: outstanding natural beauty

Nestled in the far south of France, between Toulouse, Spain and Andorra, is a secret land of green rolling foothills, flowery mountain meadows, high craggy peaks, hidden valleys, lakes and waterfalls, and the purest air in the country.

These are the undiscovered Pyrenees, and this is the Ariège.

You may never have heard of the French department of Ariège. Most people haven't - it's still resolutely off the beaten tourist path. And that's all to the good, because it helps preserve the extraordinary natural beauty, tranquillity and emptiness of the area and protect its very special rich biodiversity.

Don't get me wrong ... as a visitor you'll be warmly welcomed everywhere you go. It's just that we don't have a whole pile of tourist attractions, trendy towns or bijou-chic villages. The Ariège is a best kept secret that's best kept a secret.

Although we have our share of medieval cités such as St Lizier and Mirepoix, Cathar castles at Montségur and Roquefixade, several lovely Romanesque churches and some of the most extensive prehistoric caves in Europe, the Ariège is primarily a destination for lovers of the great outdoors. These are the hidden Pyrenees, unscarred by detritus of ski machinery, ugly apartment blocks or crowds, where you can walk and meet no-one, even in August.The high peaks of the Pyrenees are rarely out of sight and form a stunning backdrop all over the department, with the highest rising to around 3000 metres.

The bird, animal, and plant life here is exceptional, with many species being specific to the area. Black and red kites, buzzards and the occasional short-toed eagle regularly hunt over Maison Grillou, and there are several easily accessible spots where you can see vultures and golden eagles. Marmots and isards (chamois) are abundant in the high mountains; closer to home you might spot a deer or wild cat in or around the grounds along with the 50+ varieties of butterflies that fill our air from early spring to late autumn.

Come in May or June and be wowed by the wild flowers - we can point you to a spot 15 minutes away where 30 varieties of orchids flower and to mountain pastures where you'll find fields full of bright blue gentian and grassy cliffs with 100 species of every hue. Or you could just wander around our local lanes and marvel at the sheer abundance of flowers in the nearby fields before they're cut for hay.

Ariège has a more open, alternative and eco feel than many other French departments, largely due to the number of people who over the last 30 years or so have opted out of the rat race and moved here to live more simply - much as we've done. As a result, there are many small organic and biodynamic food producers and alternative practitioners of various kinds and an amazing variety of arts, crafts and traditional and world music. We have some of the best festivals in Midi-Pyrénées and a remarkably active cultural scene. And of course the Tour de France is here pretty much every year, with (usually) a stage finish or start.

AROUND MAISON GRILLOU

Grillou sits in the heart of the Parc Naturel Régional des Pyrénées Ariégeoises, in the pays known as the Séronais. Crossroads of the old territories of Gascony and Languedoc, this is lush, rolling, gently wooded pastureland, rising rapidly to beech forested mountain foothills. Our central location is perfect for exploring: by car you can get close to the high peaks in 30 minutes (though as the crow flies they’re only a few kilometres away!), and pretty much anywhere in the department in less than an hour.

As you might imagine it’s perfect for walking, with many kilometres of well marked paths at all levels including a variant of the St Jacques de Compostelle pilgrim path, which passes just a few minutes from Grillou. A Voie Verte (green road) has been created from an old railway track and now links Foix with St Girons, passing through our village of Rimont, and offers easy walking or cycling with lovely views. You can swim, sunbathe on the beach or just contemplate the sunlight on the water at the gorgeous Lac de Mondély close by; visit (and drive through!) prehistoric caves; walk to dolmens; or take a boat trip on the longest underground river in Europe. Or you can just settle with a picnic by a river or at one of the many viewpoints or mountain cols and gaze at the fantastic views.